Dubai: Time has not dulled Saeed Bin Surour’s racing ambitions as the long-serving Godolphin handler chases an unprecedented 12th victory in Round 3 of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Group 1), the showpiece race of Super Saturday, the dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 31.

Bin Surour, who first won this iconic race in 1996 with Tamayaz, is represented by last season’s UAE Derby (G2) scorer, Thunder Snow, the mount of multiple French champion jockey, Christophe Soumillon.

Run over 10 furlongs on dirt, the same distance as the $10-million Dubai World Cup (G1), the Al Maktoum challenge assumes major significance for the likes of big-race hopefuls like Thunder Snow, and North America, who was beaten just a neck behind him in Round 2 of the series last month.

Also in contention are 2017 Godolphin Mile (G2) winner Second Summer, Group 1 scorer Special Fighter, the resilient Furia Cruzada and Godolphin teammate, Boynton.

A cracking race packed with intriguing prospects is on the cards although, historically, it may not have proved to be the ideal prep for the Dubai World Cup with only five winners coming through its ranks — Dubai Millennium (2000), Street Cry (2002), Electrocutionist (2006), African Story (2014) and Prince Bishop (2015).

Bin Surour is also represented by the Teofilo colt, Team Talk, a lightly-raced listed winner on the artificial surface in the UK. Team Talk makes his dirt debut after finishing home fourth to Folkswood on turf in the 10-furlong Group 3 Dubai Millennium on February 22.

Assessing the chances of his two runners, Bin Surour commented: “Thunder Snow has been doing well since his victory in Round Two of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

“This is another big advance for him as it is a G1 race on dirt. I think that he will be fine with the step up to a mile and a quarter, but he is coming up against some very strong opposition.

“I am hopeful for another good result.

“We wanted to give Team Talk a try on dirt, to see how he gets on, and he has been working well.”

Commenting on the chances of Boynton, an emerging dirt horse, Appleby commented: “I was pleased to see Boynton win on his first appearance on dirt last time out, although he is taking a big step up in class and doesn’t have the greatest draw in stall 11.

“He came out of his last start well and we are looking forward to stepping him back up in distance, which we feel is within his compass.

“We are hoping that he can run a solid race and potentially set himself up for Dubai World Cup Night.”